Past Lives: The Vinland Saga
by Jet556
Summary: In the eleventh century, a group of Norsemen travelled west.
1. Chapter 1

**Dramatis Personae**

The Red Erik (Randy's past life)

The Beautiful Freydis (Theresa's past life)

The Invulnerable Leif (Howard's past life)

The Wily Snaebjorn (Stevens' past life)

The Treacherous Thorvald (Niall's past life)

The Jealous Gunnbjorn (Ken's past life)

 **Chapter One**

The Norsemen ruled a vast domain: Ireland, Orkney and the Hebrides. Even part of the Frankish kingdom! And soon they would conquer England too!

But the map was getting new pieces added to it. There were those who wished to colonize unknown lands. So a group of Norse discussed what to do in the home of one of the group.

"We shall sail west!" exclaimed Erik. "Past England, past Ireland, past all of that!"

"To what?" asked Leif. "To the very edge of the world? There is nothing out there! You will doom us all!"

"No one has believed in a flat world in ages, Leif." Commented Gunnbjorn. "We may very well just reach the other side of Asia if there isn't a place to settle out there!"

"Still better than going to the same old places all the time." Chimed in Thorvald. Snaebjorn remained quiet. He was not much of a talker and that was usually because he had little to say.

Erik's love Freydis also chimed in. "Well, what have we to lose? Let us sail west!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The ship that had been built looked good considering it had been used for twenty years. As the Norse looked at it, there was some reason for doubt.

"Sure, it looks good." Said Leif. "But what I want to know is how long it will last?"

"What do you mean?" asked Thorvald.

"Thorvald, this ship has sailed for twenty years." Replied Leif. "That is impressive but how long until it sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor where only Niord will be able to find us?"

Thorvald went silent. He was the youngest of this group and the one most eager for adventure but at the same time he was also the most cautious. His treachery was born out of self-preservation, a fear of dying before he had accomplished anything.

"Leif, that is enough." Said Freydis. "We don't want you putting doubt into Thorvald's head. Doubt is enough to sink a ship."

"Doubt won't sink this ship!" exclaimed Leif. "It will sink by itself!"

Gunnbjorn sighed as he carried provisions on board. Leif was being an annoyance again. He walked over to Erik once he put some provisions down to speak with the leader of the expedition.

"How long until we can just throw him overboard?" asked Gunnbjorn.

"Until he gets on our nerves." Replied Erik.

"He is getting on my nerves right now." Commented Gunnbjorn.

"I said 'our nerves' not yours." Stated Erik. "We have to wait until we are all thoroughly annoyed with him."

"And just how long will that take do you think?" asked Gunnbjorn.

"Willing to bet on it?" asked Erik.

"I will not bet my primary weapon on it!" said Gunnbjorn, gripping the hilt of his sword defensively.

"Nor I." said Erik. "Our knives then?"

"Why not?" asked Gunnbjorn. "I've always been jealous of you for having a knife with a hilt made of walrus tusk!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

 **Chapter Three**

The crossing of the sea was long. It was many days before they even reached their destination. Things started to become difficult when Leif began to complain. He complained every day and the complaining only seemed to get worse as the days went on. Then it finally reached its zenith.

"There is nothing out there!" exclaimed Leif. "It was a mistake to come on this expedition! It was a mistake to bring wily Snaebjorn on this expedition! He must have been planted here by Loki to send us astray!"

"Leif, shut up!" yelled Erik. Leif's complaining was getting on every one's nerves.

"You are behind this, you red haired stick person!" exclaimed Leif turning to Erik with an accusatory finger.

Some of the others rolled their eyes. If this was how Leif exited their expedition they just wished he'd hurry up and make his exit.

Leif charged with a knife. Erik threw Leif overboard. Leif drowned. So did he make his exit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

 **Chapter Four**

Eventually the ship did reach land. Far to the west in a land that would one day be called Canada had the Norsemen come to. In awe did they come down to the soil of this new land as Erik fell to his knees and clutched it in his hands! Freydis held out her arms and twirled around. Snaebjorn looked around. Thorvald, the youngest, immediately set out to explore. And jealous Gunnbjorn? He began establishing a settlement.

"All my life I sought to be ruler of some new land." Said Gunnbjorn, as he began with starting a camp. "A kingdom is too big for me, an earldom too small. Therefore I shall establish a duchy here."

"Then I shall be your king!" joked Erik.

"Whoever said I'd have you for a king?" asked Gunnbjorn in response, joking as well. "Who is to say I would not have my older sister's son Thorvald as my king?"

"And just where is Thorvald?" asked Freydis. Snaebjorn had not ventured far, he was still in sight, but now no one had any idea where Thorvald was.

Thorvald was now standing before a totem pole. He had never seen anything like it before. It was early in the morning, cloudy and the mist that was across the forest floor caused an atmosphere most sinister for young Thorvald. The sound of footsteps then came to his ears. The clumsy footsteps of someone from Lapland it seemed like. Indeed when Thorvald turned to see the owner of the footsteps he believed that save for the skin, a strange copper skin of which he had never seen before, the person could have been from Lapland.

Hoping that the man spoke the same language as he, since the people of Lapland spoke Norse, Thorvald greeted the stranger. To his shame, he found that the stranger spoke no Norse but a language as strange to him as Norse was to this stranger.

Seeking a way to communicate with one another, the two sat down and made symbols in the dirt. This did Thorvald begin to speak with an Algonquin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome back everyone. Enjoy and review.**

 **Chapter Five**

The settlement was a success for a time. It flourished, the Norse and the natives got along well. Then the winters started to get worse and the tribes more hostile. Eventually the settlement was abandoned.

On the way back, Erik and Freydis were killed when their ship was dashed against the Irish cliffs. Thorvald had remained in that strange new world so whatever happened to him was unknown to his fellow Norsemen. As for Gunnbjorn, he returned to the Norse Lands and married Lief's sister but he always looked back on that voyage with both fond and bitter memories.

"We had the wind in our sail." Said Gunnbjorn. "We had a new world to explore, a new world to settle. The winters were harsh, the tribes friendly and hostile… Someday we will go back."

And one day they did go back. Centuries later they did.

 **The End**


End file.
